EUDIALYTIC SYENITE
Eudialyte is an attractive, rare, pinkish-red silicate mineral having a
moderately complex chemistry. Eudialyte is a
sodium-calcium-cesium-iron-manganese-yttrium-zirconium hydroxychlorosilicate
(Na4(Ca,Ce)2(Fe,Mn,Y)ZrSi8O22(OH,Cl)2).
The rocks shown below have a significant eudialyte
component, along with sodic plagioclase feldspar (white) and arfvedsonite
amphibole (black). They are eudialytic peralkaline syenites (or
metasyenites, as the rocks on the outcrop scale have a weakly developed,
coarse-scale foliation).
Locality
- apparently the "rare-earth occurrence" locality of Currie & Van
Breemen (1996 - Canadian Mineralogist 34: 435-451) and Currie (1998 - Geological
Survey of Canada Current Research 1998-C: 167-172), near the Kipawa River
between Lake Sheffield and Lake Sairs, Villedieu Township, south-central
Tˇmiscaminguˇ County, southwestern Quebec, southeastern Canada.
Geologic origin - published information indicates that the eudialyte
is metasomatic in origin (= formed by the significant addition of chemicals to
pre-existing rocks), and dates to about 994 million years (late
Mesoproterozoic). The host syenite rock is mid-Mesoproterozoic in age (~1.24
billion years). It forms part of the Kipawa Syenite Complex in the Kipawa
Syncline area of the Grenville Province, near the Grenville Province-Superior
Province boundary.
Eudialytic metasyenite (6.8 cm across) from the Precambrian of Quebec,
Canada.
Eudialytic metasyenite (4.9 cm across) from the Precambrian of Quebec,
Canada.